All of that...indulgence...is just one part of NARC. The other part is the action, of which there is plenty. Right now (and this could all change as more comes into play) the game controls somewhat similarly to Max Payne, where one analog stick controls movement and the other free-look, leaving all buttons available for action. The biggest surprise we encountered while playing was not the fluidity of character control (something GTA-inspired titles rarely get right), but rather the depth of combat.

In addition to an assortment of weapons that range from pistols to machineguns to worse, NARC also features a fairly robust melee combat engine. There's a kick button, a punch button, a dive / duck button, and a grapple. Using the kicks and punches in conjunction produces a few distinct combinations, but it's not until you throw in the crouch modifier to perform uppercuts and sweeps and the grapple button to take people down can you really appreciate the action. This becomes most apparent in a chase.

When a cop flashes a badge or randomly elbows someone in the side of the head, it's not like they're always going to stop and surrender. Sometimes they run. In NARC, chases are fairly normal occurrences. This is the most enjoyable segment of the game thus far and one of the most amusing things we've seen in a while. It actually feels a bit like a quirky, almost comedic Hollywood on-foot pursuit -- quirky and comedic in that same way no one in GTA ever looks or moves quite right.

In one instance we struggled with a crook wrestling the gun out of his hand by using a combination of analog movement and button presses to simulate thrashing. He got free, but we had the gun, which meant we could sprint after him firing wildly. Of course, a few dozen or more civvies bit the dust along the way and people on the street found themselves bulldozed over as we ran through anyone in our path and over any car, but eventually we got close enough where we could perform a diving tackle. This took the bad guy down, but the fight was not yet over. Before we can cuff someone we first have to subdue them, which involves building up power and timing attacks.

Boom, Boom

Right now NARC is quite a bit of fun. We've yet to experience the deeper levels, but the shooting component feels about on-par with the rest of the game's over-the-top action, environments, and dialog. It's certainly not a game that should be played by the younger audiences of the world, but it's already coming along well and should fit in nicely with the rest of Midway's lineup, including Area 51, Mortal Kombat, a planned sequel to Psi-Ops, and the next batch of Unreal games.

We'll bring you more information in the coming weeks as newer, more complete builds are provided to us. For the time being, we've managed to procure a few videos and screenshots of the game in action. Find them in our media page linked below. In addition to those, please see this news story for an exclusive look into what music and voices will be included in the final release.